The rumors will finally be put to rest in tonight's episode, Steger says, when Navid pursues Adrianna, played by Jessica Lowndes.

"I don't know how much I can give away," Steger adds over the phone from L.A. "But Navid lends Adrianna a hand and helps her out."

Steger added that today's 8 p.m. episode marks the beginning of a romantic relationship between the two characters.

The pairing of Navid and Adrianna, who's white, would be the second interracial couple featured in the show's freshman season, after Dixon and Silver, played by Black/Dominican actor Tristan Wilds and white actress Jessica Stroup.

Steger says he thinks the show's creators see interracial dating as a lucrative idea.

"Execs are looking at the success of diverse casts and seeing that it works to represent different cultures," he says, citing the ensembles of "Grey's Anatomy" and "Heroes."

For Steger, the best thing about playing Navid is that he's rich.

"It's interesting going into my mansion and playing a kid who lives a life of privilege, because it's something I never grew up with," he says. "It's fun exploring his wealth, ambition and drive."

Born in Burbank, Calif., Steger was raised in Southern California with modest means.

"I had a Toyota 1986 pickup that my mom bought me for $600, so I grew up very different from my character," he says.

His mother was born in Cuenca, Ecuador, and his father is from London. But he says he identifies more with his mother's heritage.